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Museum Resources for Parents and Caregivers

As a Seattle parent, I am currently experiencing schools closed for the remainder of the school year due to COVID-19.
While my heart goes out to all who are experiencing this illness, I am also one of many parents who want to maintain a healthy household while also keeping my children's brains engaged.

Thus, I am compiling this resource of lesson plans sent to me from museums (and a few other educational organizations).

​If you would like me to add your museum's lesson plans to the list, please email me the link and category (you can create a new one) at  susie (at) wilkeningconsulting (dot) com.

This is a list in progress, and I am not vetting any lesson plans shared here. (Those with * mean Wilkening-family tested and approved!)
Museum Distance Learning Repository
Searchable by content area, age of children, parental involvement, and more!
This resource is more extensive than my list below, and is the best first stop.

(A project of EdCom, a Professional Network of the American Alliance of Museums)​

​
  • American History
    • American Writers Museum
    • Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (scroll down to "classroom resources")
    • Historic New England
      • Family Ties Online
    • Litchfield Historical Society
    • Monticello (Thomas Jefferson)
      • Digital Classroom (searchable by grade)
      • Slavery at Monticello (mobile app; includes videos, audio, and visuals)
    • Mount Vernon (George Washington)
      • ​Lesson plans (searchable by grade)
      • Be Washington (app-based game)
    • National Museum of African American History and Culture
    • ​National Museum of American History (Smithsonian Institution)
      • *Our Story: American History Stories and Activities You Can Do Together!
      • Kids: Things To Do At Home​
    • National Park Service
      • Teaching with Historic Places
    • Newport Historical Society (RI)
      • Lesson plans and resources
      • Virtual tour
    • Ohio History Connection (searchable by grade; updated daily)
    • Old Salem 
      • Online "field trip" platform, created in response to COVID-19 closures
    • Smithsonian Institution
      • History Explorer (searchable by grade)​
    • ​Tenement Museum (searchable by grade)
    • Virginia Museum of History and Culture
  • American Indian or Native American (museum or focus)
    • Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum (Seminole)
    • Arizona State Museum
    • National Museum of the American Indian
      • ​Americans - Dialogue Toolkit (grades 4 - 12)
      • Essential Understandings
      • Lesson plans (searchable by grade)
  • Animals
    • Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
      • *Home Safari Facebook Live (weekdays at 3 EDT/12 PDT)
    • San Diego Zoo
  • ​​Art
    • Akron Art Museum
    • Denver Art Museum 
      • Creativity Resource
    • Grand Rapids Art Museum
    • Kennedy Center
      • *​​Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems!
    • ​Metropolitan Museum of Art
      • Lesson plans
      • ​#metkids
    • Mississippi Museum of Art
      • ​Primarily check out "teacher resources"
      • App Archive & New Symphony in Time connect objects with audio/video
    • ​​MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)
    • Norman Rockwell Museum (grades K - 12)
      • ​Relevant to American history too
    • Washington County Museum of Fine Arts 
      • Art a Day Challenge
    • Wiregrass Museum of Art
      • Art activities (new post every Monday)
      • Lesson plans
      • Additional resources
  • Children's Museums/Early Childhood
    • Glazer Children's Museum
    • Grand Rapids Art Museum
      • Art projects for under 5s (bottom of page)
    • ​Kentucky Science Center and partners
      • my BIGlittle adventure
    • Kohl Children's Museum
      • Classroom Activities (adaptable)
      • Home Zone (STEAM activities)
      • Story Time
  • General
    • Massillon Museum (art + history)
    • ​My Learning
      • Tons of free learning resources from UK arts, cultural, and heritage organisations
      • Sortable by "key stages" (higher number = higher grade)
    • Ohio Museums Association
      • This is a compilation of virtual resources from Ohio museums
    • Playground Games
    • PBS KIDS Daily
      • Daily email with activities and tips
    • Smithsonian Institution
      • Fun Stuff for Kids
      • Learning Lab - developed for parents/caregivers in response to current school closures
    • ​​Museum of Ventura County (California)
    • Washington Pavilion (art, science, fun)
  • Literature (Children's in particular)
    • Center for Puppetry Arts (live streaming and study guides)
    • ​The LivBits
      • ​Compilation of children's authors reading aloud, etc.
  • Natural History
    • La Brea Tar Pits (paleontology)
    • National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution)
      • Smithsonian Science How video webcast archives
      • Teaching resources (searchable by grade)
    • ​Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
    • Natural History Museum of Utah
      • ​Live online courses during school closures (starting Mar 17)
  • Nature
    • ​Tracy Aviary
      • Virtual Aviary Resources
      • YouTube page with ideas
    • World Wildlife Foundation
  • Science 
    • Association of Science and Technology Centers
      • Includes resources on COVID-19 as well as additional list of online programming from science centers
    • 4-H STEM Lab
    • The Bakken
    • Exploratorium
      • Learning Toolbox (focusing on viruses and human behavior)
      • Science Snacks 
    • Great Lakes Science Center
      • Curiosity Live daily science shows (10:30 EDT/7:30 PDT)
    • Michigan Science Center
      • ECHO Live! science shows (Facebook live; weekdays at 2:30 EDT/11:30 PDT)
    • National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian Institution)
      • STEM in 30 (middle school)
      • Virtual tour
    • Pacific Science Center - Curiosity at Home
    • ​Science Museum Group (UK)
Copyright © 2020 - Wilkening Consulting, LLC
I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work on the traditional lands of the Duwamish people. I thank them for the care of this land, and I endeavor to help museums bring forward a more complete and inclusive history and culture in their work.